No. 1 Star: Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
Perry all but clinched the Rocket Richard Trophy tonight with his third career hat trick and became the first player this season to reach 50 goals as Anaheim defeated San Jose 6-2. Perry's linemates each had a major hand in Anaheim's six goals with Ryan Getzlaf recording four helpers and Bobby Ryan contributing three assists. Perry is now the third 50-goal scorer in franchise history:.
No. 2 Star: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
Honored before the game after hitting 1,000 career points this week, Iggy hit the 40-goal mark for the fourth time in his career with a hat trick as Calgary routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1. Alex Tanguay had three points and Miikka Kiprusoff tied a Mike Vernon's Flames franchise record with his 262nd win after a 22-save night.
No. 3 Star: Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes
Clinging to hopes of capturing a final seed in the East, Ward delivered a 42-save performance in a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. It was Ward's 16th career shutout and fourth this season. Rookie Jeff Skinner tallied his 30th goal of the season and still leads all rookies in points with 59. Eric Staal had a helper on all three Hurricanes goals and now has eight points in nine games.
Honorable mention: Gregory Campbell and Dennis Seidenberg scored 78 seconds apart to boost the Boston Bruins over the New York Islanders 3-2. Tim Thomas made 20 saves for his 34th win as the Bruins improved to 6-2-1 in their last nine games ... Islanders rookie Michael Grabner scored twice to overtake the NHL rookie scoring lead with his 32nd and 33rd goals of the season. Grabner's second came shorthanded and put him behind teammate Frans Nielsen for second overall in the NHL with six ... Ilya Kovalchuk hit the 30-goal mark for the eighth straight season and Patrik Elias had a goal and an assist as New Jersey upended Toronto 4-2 ... After Marian Hossa's controversial goal stood, the Blackhawks clawed back after being down 2-0 to the St. Louis Blues en route to a 4-3 win. Captain Jonathan Toews' goal 3:19 into overtime was the difference:
Alex Ovechkin's goal and two assists led the Washington Capitals to a 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers. The win pushes the Caps to four points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers for the Eastern Conference title with one game to play ... Kyle Clifford's goal late in the second period tied things at two and then goals from Michal Handzus and Jarret Stoll in the shootout powered the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes. The win gave the Kings a playoff spot for the second straight season. Jonathan Quick improved to 10-0 in the shootout this season ... Game milestones tonight: Kovalchuk (700th), Tomas Kaberle (900th), Nathan Horton (400th), Ty Conklin (200th) and Mark Recchi, who played in his 1,651 game, tying Chris Chelios for fourth all-time.
Did you know? The Islanders lead the NHL in shorthanded goals with 15.
Dishonorable mention: Ray Emery left midway through the second period with a minor injury, but was later cleared to return to the game ... Joe Pavelski's 10-game points streak was snapped ... Wins by Anaheim and Chicago eliminated the Calgary Flames from playoff contention in the West.